I was the last patient of the day 4:30 for my dentist a few weeks ago. My file says that I take SEVERAL shots to get numb. He was running late. I got there early. When, at 5:30, the doc was still trying to numb me, he said "It's always the 5:30 patients that are the hardest to numb" and I said "actually I was a 4:30 patient and I was here early". He felt bad.

Of course he was probably running late because of some other idiot but I was glad that I wasn't the cause of him missing dinner!

My sleep doc (who is a neuro) has a sign posted where you check-in - huge, bold letters saying that if you are more than 10 min late for your appointment, you will have to reschedule. He has another sign next to it saying that if you are a no-show and/or do not cancel 48 hours in advance you will be charged $150. No joke.

That being said, I always bust my tush getting down there on time if not early - just to freakin wait. I have had 4 appointments with him and he has always been 45-90 min late for every appointment. What is worse is that the nurse will take you back to the exam room right away - so you think you may actually be seen on time - but then you just wait. There are no magazines or TV or anything. Once I thought he forgot about me and opened the door to make sure someone knew I was still waiting - waiting 90 min in an exam room is not exactly my idea of fun.

He's a good guy and is highly respected in the field of sleep medicine but I'd be lying if I didn't say that his lack of time management irk me to no end. I asked his staff if he is late to his first appt and they all shook their heads yes. Makes it hard when you are trying to schedule it around work. *sigh*

Every last patient, upon seeing that they are the last for they day, always feels the compulsion to ask for advice for numerous medical (and personal) problems, none of which related to the reason why they came. If given prescriptions they'd refuse politely, 'No thank you it's not that bad!'

I'm not a doctor btw. I'm just the girl who waits for her parents(they work together in one practice) to come home for dinner.

The last patient of the day scheduled tomorrow (on Friday) is a new patient with "headache for three years" and two other chronic painful conditions and whose intake form cites "allergic to Tylenol." And yet, mysteriously, Percocet is tolerated. And is on four other meds that all will require prior auth from her Medicare-D carrier, at least one of which will not go through, I can tell from just looking at it, because I spent much of last week dealing with them.In the words of the great Dave Barry, I am not making this up.I believe that the front desk has started deliberately scheduling this way so that I will spontaneously offer to buy a LOT of drinks for the staff at the end of the day on Friday. It's working, too!

The last patient is often the one with vague but significant symptoms (abdominal pain) that require urgent evaluation with stat labs and xrays that are hard to get at 500pm, especially on Friday. You end up getting called hours later at home with the results. Then they need an urgent referral to a specialist but end up getting sent to the ER since none are to be found.

this is possibly a person who craves attention - runs around in a daze and makes everyone accommodate her. she's a classic pain the the butt, however, neglecting the need for attention, doesn't have a worry in the world.

Welcome to my whining!

This blog is entirely for entertainment purposes. All posts about patients may be fictional, or be my experience, or were submitted by a reader, or any combination of the above. Factual statements may or may not be accurate.

Singing Foo!

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